Startup Hiring: As Much about Culture and Fit as It Is about Talent

If your hiring strategy consists solely of the mantra, “hire the best talent available,” you may find that when the going gets tough it’s everyone for themselves.

“Companies are not people. But they are comprised of people. And the people side of the business is harder and way more complicated than building a product is,” writes VC and principal of Union Square Ventures Fred Wilson. In a post in a new series on people for his AVC blog, Wilson argues that, “You have to start with culture, values, and a commitment to creating a fantastic workplace. You can’t fake these things.” Cultural fit is the glue that will bind a team together when the going gets tough, and in order to develop it, it’s the CEO’s job to make sure the company hires people who will “enjoy working together, who fit well together, and who will make each other better,” Wilson writes.

“There will be things that happen in the course of building a business that will challenge the belief in the leadership and the future of the company,” Wilson suggests. “If everyone is a mercenary and there is no shared culture and values, the team will blow apart. But if there is a meaningful culture that the entire team buys into, the team will stick together, double down, and get through those challenging situations.” For more on why you should be centering your hiring strategy around your company culture, read Wilson’s full post here.

Related Content from OpenView:

Your company’s culture can make the difference between top talent signing up with you or your competition. But even if your culture is a good fit for your company now, will it be once the company begins to grow? In other words, is it scalable? Read this post to learn why that’s incredibly important. And for tips for actively enhancing your company culture, read this post from the OpenView Blog.